SUCCINCT SUMMARY
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Todays Rashi is best understood with 3 Rashi methods.
The BULLET method seeks to make textual inferences from
paragraph and bullet structure.
The OTHER VERSE method seeks to make inferences from
other verses. When these other verses provide further
details we call this the OTHER VERSE / FURTHER DETAIL
method.
The REPETITION method seeks to make inferences from
words in verses which are repeated. When the inference
is a broad interpretation of the word we call this
the REPETITION method & BROAD submethod.
Let us now apply these three rules to Lv05.
EXAMPLE: Bulleted text of Lv05
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The chapter Lv05 discusses 6 situations in
which a person is obligated to bring either
a GUILT offering a SUBSTITUTE GUILT offering.
By listing the headings of each of these 6
situations we are able to more clearly identify
what they are.
The six situations that obligate bringing the
GUILT sacrifice are as follows
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A: Lv05-01 A person who Doesnt give testimony
B: Lv05-02 Is ritually impure, forgot, & incurs guilt
C: Lv05-04 Swears personal oath, forgot, & incurs guilt
D: Lv05-15 Sanctuary trespass: accidentally sins from holy
objects (Must pay back principle and fifth)
E: Lv05-17 Sins,violates a dont,is unaware & incurs guilt
F: Lv05-20 Trespasses: Denies(oath) monetary obligation &
incurs guilt
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Several Rashis paraphrased
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Cases (A),(F),(C) deals with oaths and testimony:
- Case (A) deals with a refusal to testify.
- Case (F) deals with a false testimony under oath
- Case (C) deals with false personal oath
Notice how case (B) Lv05-02 deals with someone who is
ritually IMPURE, FORGOT and INCURS GUILT. But
the verse does not state HOW they incurred guilt.
We therefore need the assistance of the OTHER VERSE
method. There are two other verses which speak about
IMPURE PEOPLE who do something and incur guilt.
- Lv07-20 speaks about an impure person WHO EATS sacrificial
food(such as PEACE offerings);(s)he are punished with CUT OFF
- This prohibition of eating temple food while impure
is also echoed in Lv22-02:07.
- Nu19-20 speaks about an impure person who does not purify & is
CUT OFF when he defiles (enters) the temple
Hence the Rashi: Lv05-02 speaks about an impure person
who forgot and a) ate sacrificial foods b) entered
the temple.
This completes our discussion of CASE (B).
Case (D) deals with ACCIDENTAL TRESPASS
AGAINST THE TEMPLE & INCURRING GUILT
with a requirement of paying
PRINCIPLE + ONE FIFTH--but we dont know the action
which was responsible for the guilt.
Again we need the OTHER VERSE method.
Lv22-10 and Lv22-14 states
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Non-priests shall not eat priestly Terumah
When a person eats holy objects accidentally
he pays principle and fifth back to priest
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Hence, case (D) could refer to EATING
from Holy objects
We now apply the REPETITION METHOD: Lv05-15b
literally says: WHEN A SOUL TRESPASSES TRESPASSES
The repeated word TRESPASSING encourages a broad
generalization---not only is EATING HOLY objects
referred to but ANY TYPE OF BENEFIT from holy
objects.
We therefore generalize EATING to
all types of BENEFITTING. As a simple example
the Rambam in his great code illustrates this generalization
with SHEARING WOOL from an animal dedicated to the
temple. Here the RAMBAM uses the OTHER VERSE method:
- Dt15-19 mentions the prohibition of SHARING or
working with TEMPLE animals.
Hence a person who accidentally forgot this would have
to repay the temple the monetary amount benefitted + 1/5.
Several lists below summarize the methods involved.
LIST107f below summarizes the bulleted list.
LIST150a presents BROAD interpretations of REPEATED Words
LIST210y presents several examples of OTHER VERSES.
Interestingly: Rambam (Errors 10:5) lists the identifcation
of IMPURE & INCURS GUILT in Lv05-02 with IMPURE & ENTERS
TEMPLE OR EATS SACRIFICES as an example of an inference
that is NOT explicit in the Torah but learned by exegetical
inference from OTHER VERSES
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